Flash-light apparatus.



E. P. LEHMANN.

FLASH LIGHT APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 28, 1909.

1,032,61 5. Patented July 16, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

* nir PAUL LEHMANN, OF BBANDENBUBG-ON-THE-HAVEL, GERMANY.

FLASH-LIGHT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J lll y 16, 1912.

Application filed July 28, 1909. Serial No. 510,149.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST PAUL LEH- MANN, subject of Prussia, residing at No. 6 Plauerstrasse, Brandenburg-on-the-Havel, Prussia, German Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Flaslr Light Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved flash-light apparatus for the use of photographers, and the improvement particularly refers to a flash-light of that kind, in which a match is ignited by friction against a suitably prepared surface, and the match-fire serves to explode the flash-light powder spread around the head of the match.

The object of this invention is to provide a flash-light device of great simplicity and reliability of effect, readily to be handled by the operator, who holds the apparatus in one hand and instantaneously obtains the explosion of the match and of the flash-powder at any given moment, without the use of the other hand for obtaining the frictional contact.

To obtain a sudden and reliable explosion of the match, a frictional surface carrying a suit-able substance adapted to fire the explosive substance of the match is provided in a slide arranged to shoot along in contact with the head of the match, which latter has a bearing contact against said frictional surface under the pressure of a spring, such pressure being essential for obtaining a sufficient friction between the explosive head of the match and the prepared frictional surface. The slide carrying said frictional surface is connected to a spring adapted to be put under tension and so retained up to the moment, when the flash-light is desired to explode. At that given moment the operator releases a detent holding the spring and the slide with the frictional surface shoots along in contact with the explosive head of the match forced against said frictional surface. The instantaneous releasing of the spring may be easily done by a slight pressure of one finger of the hand thatholds the apparatus in any suitable position for directing the flashlight toward the object to be exposed.

To make my invention properly understood, I have illustrated the same in the ac companying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the flash-light device, the position of parts being shown in a state ready for firing the flash. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section drawn to line II of Fig 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section drawn to line IIII of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the device, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing a modification of the construction of the device.

The flash-light device, as a whole, is of a known construction, the main portion formmg a flat casing consisting of two halves a, and b, hinged or pivoted to each other as at 1", the one half casing I), being adapted to be swung down into the open position shown in Fig. 1. A handle 0, is formed or connected to the other half casing a, said handle being preferably hollow to receive a coiled spring f, secured to any suitable part within said handle, such as a lug s, bent from the metal of the said handle 0. On the rear of the casinga, a slide 6, is provided to be shifted in guideways (Z, secured to or formed within the bottomor back-plate of the easmg a. The lower end of said slide 0, enters into the open upper end of the handle 0, as shown in Fig. 1, and the said lower end of the slide is connected, inside of said handle, to the spring 7. At the upper end of said slide 6, a lug or projecting bead or the like, such as 25, is provided for seizing the slide and drawing it up into the position shown in Figs. 1, and 2. Near the lower end of said slide a slit a, is provided, and a corresponding slit o, is cut into the rear of the handle 0. A lever 71., is carried by the said handle 0, outside the same, said lever 72., being spring-supported, as shown in Fig. 1, while the opposite arm of said lever it, catches with its hook-shaped end into the corresponding slits o, a, and acts asa detent to retain the slide 6, in its raised or operative position. It will be easily understood, that, by applying a slight pressure to the lower arm of lever 71 its upper end will be lifted from the slits o, a, and the slide 6, willat once he shot down by the tension of spring 7". The side-edges of the slide 6, are bent to form grooves, as shown in Fig. 3, and within said grooves a flat strip or band 2' is held, the front surface of which is provided with a frictional surface suitably prepared in a known manner to light the explosive matter of the head of a match. The upper end of said strip or band 2', projects from the holding slide 6, thereby enabling it to be easily seized and withdrawn for exchanging it, if the rubbing surface has become spent or waste.

In the rear of the casing a, an aperture w, is cut to allow the passage of the head of the match 70, said match, being indicated 111 dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, thereby being brought into immediate contact with the frictional rubbing surface of the strip 2'. obtain the required amount of friction between the said strip 2', and the match is, the head of the latter is forced against said strip by a spring m, coiled around a stem of a frame a, arranged to slide on the bottom of the casing b, the said stem of frame a, pass ing through a hole in the front of the easing b, to guide the frame. The said frame 12-, has an aperture forreceiving the rear end of the match is, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, and 3, and by inserting the rear of the match into the frame, while the head of the match enters the recess w, of the casing a, the head of the match will be held in position against the rubbing surface of the slide a when the latter is shot along by the spring f. Instead of employing a coiled spring m, as shown, a leaf-spring might as well'be employed to force the match holding frame 12, toward the rubbing surface 2'.

The flash-light powder to be exploded by the ignition of the match-head is spread or heaped around the match-head in the usual manner, whereby an instantaneous flashlight is obtained by simply applying a pressure on the lower arm of lever h, which releases the slide 6, and causes it to be shot down by the spring 7.

Instead of lodging the spring f, inside of the hollow handle'c, and of. making the lower end of the slide 6, enter the open upper end of said handle, the said spring f, might be arranged outside of the. handle, and the lower end of the slide 6, mightbe guided outside of the upper part of the handle 0, but the construction, as shown, has beenfound preferable and the effect in producing the flash-light would be exactly the same.

Considering the construction of the device as illustrated by Fig. 1, it will be found, that portions of the flash light powder heaped around the match-head and entering the recess 10, giving passage to said head, might fall down into the hollow handle 0, and that sparks of the ignited match-head might also pass down into the handle, carried along by the downward shooting slide e. In this way an explosion might occasionally be caused inside of said handle. T o prevent an occurrence of such kind, I have closed the sides of the recess or aperture w, in the bottom of the casing 64, on both sides and at top by bending the edge of the metal toward the rubbing surface or strip 2', as shown in Fig. 5. The passage w, of the contact with and ignite said igniter, yielding means tending to move said slide in one direction, means for retaining slide against the action of said yielding means, and means for releasing said retaining means.

2. In a flash-light apparatus, the combination, with a receptacle for flash-powder, a handle-device project-ing transversely to the plane of the bottom of said receptacle, a slide arranged to move longitudinally in the direction of the axis of said handle, said slide extending above the bottom of the receptacle and being provided with a rubbing surface, means carried by the receptacle for holding an igniter in position to contact with said rubbing surface, a detent arranged to hold said slide in one position, a spring tending to draw the slide to another position, and means for releasing said detent.

3. In a flashlight apparatus, the combination with a two-part casing, said parts being hinged together, means for holding one of said parts substantially at right angles to the other part, to form a receptacle for flash-powder, a handle-device attached to the other part of the casing and extending in the general plane of the same, and a slide movable longitudinally in guides in the casing and projecting into the handledevice, said slide having a rubbing surface, means carried by the flash-powder receptacle for holding an igniter in position to contact with the rubbing surface of the slide, a spring within the handle-device and arranged to draw the slide into the said handle-device, a detent arranged to hold the slide in position with the spring extended and means for releasing said detent.

4. In a flash-light apparatus, the combination, with a two-part casing, one part having a pair of guide-ways at its back and forming a shield, the other part being hinged to the bottom of said shield and arranged to swing down to form a receptacle for flash-powder, a hollow handle-device eX- tending downward from the bottom of the shield and open at the top in line with the guide-ways, a slide movable in said guideways and extending into thehandle-device, said slide having a rubbing surface a spring inside the handle-device and arranged to draw the slide into the said handle-device, a

detent lever pivoted outside the handle-device and provided With a tongue arranged to project into the handle and hold the slide in its extended position, and spring-pressed means carried Within the receptacle for flash-powder for holding an ignite-r in the path of the rubbing surface of the slide.

In a flash-light apparatus the combination, With a flash-light casing having an igniter opening, of a spring-actuated slide provided with a rubbing surface arranged to pass said opening spring pressed means for holding an igniter in said opening under constant pressure against said rubbing surface on the slide, and a guard around said 15 igniter opening, to prevent the escape of flash-powder and sparks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNST PAUL LEHMANN.

Witnesses HENRY Hasrnn, \VOLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

